


i'm sticking with you

by stefonzolesky



Category: Arrested Development
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 04:53:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13803825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stefonzolesky/pseuds/stefonzolesky
Summary: Love is scary, and it’s weird, and it sends chills down Gob’s spine sometimes as he tries to figure out what it means. And maybe it means learning all the words to your boyfriend’s magic act and still getting excited when he pops out of a beanbag chair.





	i'm sticking with you

It’s kind of hard for Gob to figure out what he’s okay with anymore. In all honesty, it’s hard for him to figure out much of anything anymore. 

That’s not to say he’s stupid, or anything of the sort. He knows a thing or two about a thing or two. But stress weighs him down generally easily, so he isn’t really sure what to do.

What he  _ does _ know is that he’s most likely royally fucked. Or at least, that’s what Michael tells him.

“If you could just let me run the company,” He says, a sigh escaping his lips as he follows Gob down the hall. “You wouldn’t be so stressed, I might be able to get out of debt, and everything can fall back into place. There’s a natural order to these things, Gob.”

“I can do stuff, Michael,” Gob promises him, his chest tightening. “I’m not as much of an idiot as you think I am.”

He knows that Michael is right, but he’s stubborn. There’s no way he’s letting up.

Michael is way more right than he knows, though. Gob is trying to balance being president of the company with having a boyfriend and still trying to have a part-time career as a magician. And Tony likes to go out, and Gob wants to go to all his boyfriend’s shows, and sometimes JBJ still invites him places, and it’s just… a lot. A lot more than he’s used to.

Running the company, though, is for sure the most stressful out of all those things. So he stops in his place.

“Actually,” He turns to Michael. “Can you cover for me tonight? I have a… previous engagement.”

Michael hesitates. “Just for tonight?”

“Yeah, Mike.” Gob rolls his eyes. “It’s not like I-- I’m-- I’m not-- I can do my job, guy.” It comes out in a weird stutter, like he doesn’t quite know what he’s saying.

Michael sighs. He doesn’t comfort Gob. He just promises to cover for him and leaves it at that.

+

 

It’s not like Gob is entirely incapable of balancing his own life, and it’s not like being in a relationship makes that harder. If anything, it makes it easier.

Tony greets him with a kiss, and he almost melts right then and there. He’s fallen head over heels and, while he’s pretty afraid to admit that, it’s a nice feeling for once.

Cameras click around them, and there’s a flash, and Gob winces at the light. Tony grabs his hand. “You’re fine.”

Gob smiles, and the reassurance settles in his chest. He’s fine. He’s safe. And suddenly, he finds himself not so worried about the pictures that are being taken. That’s what you get when your boyfriend is famous, he supposes.

 

The problem about all this proves to be the fact that word spreads quickly when someone in  _ any _ position of power is gay. He finds out about this when Lucille slams her hands down on his desk and he jumps.

“ _ Jesus _ , Mom,” The words come out in some sort of weird, halting laugh. “You scared me.”

“That was what I was trying to do,” Lucille confirms, and Gob wants to joke, but she looks like stone and she’s glaring so he swallows his words and lets her continue. “You’re fired.”

“What?” Gob straightens out his back, and his heart catches in his throat. “You can’t fire me! I-- I’m doing good! Right? I’m finally not screwing everything up! I-- I-- I’m not-- I’m-- I--”

Lucille just sighs and slides a copy of the newest issue of  _ Poof _ across his desk. “Send out a statement,” She tells him. “Say that you didn’t consent, that you were there for a meeting, and that you have no idea who this man is.”

Gob swallows any objections he has because he’s too scared to say anything else to her. He’s never been more torn in his life. Michael would be proud.

 

+

 

“I think I’m gonna quit my job,” Gob tells Tony that night. They’re sitting out front of Tony’s house. Tony lights a cigarette.

“Why would you do that?” He speaks out of the corner of his mouth.

Gob shrugs. “My… my mom. She’s always on my ass about everything, like I’m not trying, or whatever. I’m trying. You know that I’m trying.”

“Yeah,” Tony says quietly. He offers Gob the cigarette, and Gob takes it hesitantly. “What did she do this time? Call you a faggot and spit on you?”

Gob laughs, but he’s not all there. “I think she’s far past that. She’s probably gonna fire me if I don’t tell everyone that you tried to rape me or something.” He takes a drag of the cigarette.

“No shit?” Tony takes the cigarette back and sticks it in his mouth again. “Are you gonna do it?”

“Are you kidding?” Gob’s eyebrows shoot together. “Obviously not. You’re my boyfriend, and that would probably ruin you. If she doesn’t like that we’re together, she can… deal with that on her own, I guess. I’ll just turn my job back over to Michael and go back to… living at the model home, since I can’t afford an apartment without that job.”

Tony hesitates. He takes a drag of the cigarette, and then says quietly, “You could always move in with me.”

“What?” Gob glances up. It’s late, and his eyes are threatening to close, but this has him more awake than ever.

Tony nods. “Yeah. I mean, you’re over here enough anyway. You always leave your shit over here. If you wanted to stay here, you could.”

“You wouldn’t get sick of me?” Gob feels stupid for asking, but it’s always a concern of his.

Tony laughs. “Of course not.”

 

+

 

Tony holds all his feelings in his shoulders. Sometimes, Gob can tell what he’s thinking just based on the way he’s sitting.

“What’s wrong?” He asks lightly, and Tony tenses up next to him. His eyes don’t move from the television screen.

“Nothing,” Tony says, but Gob can tell that it’s a lie. He  _ knows  _ Tony, he knows Tony like he knows the back of his hand.

Gob puts his hand on Tony’s thigh. “C’mon,” He says halfheartedly. “Talk to me.”

It clogs his throat to say that, because he’s never been any good at helping people. But this is Tony, and Tony is worth it. So if his boyfriend wants to talk, the least Gob can do is listen.

Tony gives Gob a weak smile, and that’s when Gob realizes his eyes are watering.

“It’s just,” He says, wiping his eyes lightly. “I’ve been working really hard. Y’know, to get this film thing off the ground. And it’s just… not working. And the internet is less on my ass, after that  _ Poof _ cover we made, which is good. But now that they don’t have  _ that _ to criticize, they’re looking for something else. They’re making the furthest reaches, and I  _ don’t lie!” _

Gob opens his mouth to say something, but Tony continues before he can.

“First of all, they’re saying that I’m-- that I’m using you. So that they’ll stop calling me a fraud. And I’m not.” He sniffs and searches Gob’s face. “You know that, right? I’m not using you. I can put up with people calling me a fake. It’s just… so hard to get them to take me seriously.”

Watching Tony work himself into a panic like this -- watching Tony  _ cry -- _ it proves to be too much for Gob to handle. He desperately wishes that he could help, but he doesn’t know how, so he does the one thing he actually knows how to do and kisses Tony.

“I believe you,” He mutters when they break apart, only to reconnect their lips again. Hey break apart and go back for more over and over and over again.

Tony rests his forehead against Gob’s and manages a watery smile. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine,” Gob promises. He hesitates. “I love you a lot.”

Tony takes a sharp breath in. “I love you too. I’m really sorry.”

Gob shakes his head and presses a quick kiss to Tony’s lips. “Do you wanna go somewhere tonight?”

“Can…” Tony pauses. “Can we just stay in? I can make cookies, and we can just watch a movie or something. I don’t even want a chance of the press finding me, y’know. Not tonight. Not after… all that.” He smiles weakly. “We can go out another night.”

“Alright.” Gob smiles. “I’ll get some blankets from the bedroom, you can start on the cookies?”

 

+

 

It takes a little bit for Gob to catch on to the fact that he and Tony are becoming more and more domestic by the day, and for some fucking reason, they’re both perfectly alright with it. 

It finally hits him, though, exactly how withdrawn from their old lifestyles they’ve become when he finds himself eating takeout on the couch with Tony and planning ahead for the week while they watch the musical that Tony hasn’t stopped talking about for the past few months and has insisted that Gob see.

About an hour into the musical, Tony starts to fall asleep. He glances up at Gob with his eyes already fluttering shut, and lays his head on Gob’s lap. He had just gotten out of the shower when they started  _ the Magic Show _ , and his hair was lacking the copious amounts of product he always applied.

Gob finds himself absently tangling his fingers in Tony’s hair while he watches. They both fall asleep on the couch before eleven o’clock. 

When he wakes up to the smell of pancakes, Gob’s fight or flight sets in because he’s always been afraid of commitment and he finds himself committing to Tony more and more every day.

He yawns and gives himself a second to steady his heartbeat, but it only speeds up again when he looks into the kitchen. He slowly makes his way to the counter and sits down, as quietly as possible because he doesn’t want to startle Tony.

Tony’s hair is messy and puffy, like a baby duckling. He’s flipping pancakes and humming to himself in one of Gob’s shirts and his boxers, and Gob is… frozen. His jaw hangs open a little bit, and he can feel himself blushing. Maybe commitment isn’t so scary after all, he realizes. Not if it means waking up to this every once in a while.

“Hey,” He finally says, keeping his voice soft.

Tony jumps a little and turns to face him with a dumb smile. “You sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Gob tells him. “Was a little cold when I woke up, but totally worth it. Pancakes, huh?”

Tony laughs softly. “Yeah. I figured it would be nice to have some pancakes. They’ll be warm, and it’s kinda cold outside.” He hesitates. “You can help yourself to the ones I already made. I have to be out of here in couple hours.”

“Where are you going?” Gob leans forward to grab a pancake off the stack.

Tony flips another pancake. “I have to set up for a show tonight. This is a big one. I’m supposed to bring in a lot of money. But my manager wants to meet up, and everything. I owe Sitwell a lot of money, too, and she isn’t warm enough towards me to lend me any more for my production.”

Gob feels like he should be jealous that Tony’s magic career is going so well, but for some reason, he’s just… not. Instead, he’s happy for Tony. And it feels good.

 

+

 

Gob turns up at Tony’s show that night to find a seat reserved for himself, right in the front. He knows that Tony is backstage getting ready, and that he probably shouldn’t bother him in the minutes before the show, so he stays put until it starts. 

The show is halfway through before Gob realizes he’s committed the speeches to memory and is mouthing them along with Tony’s voice coming from the speakers. He’s seen the show so many times, yet he’s never gotten tired of it, and he doesn’t feel like he ever will.

Love is scary, and it’s weird, and it sends chills down Gob’s spine sometimes as he tries to figure out what it means. And maybe it means learning all the words to your boyfriend’s magic act and still getting excited when he pops out of a beanbag chair.

 

That night, Gob makes a midnight call to his brother.

“What do you want, Gob?” Michael yawns into the receiver. “It’s, like, one o’clock in the morning.”

“Midnight,” Gob corrects, his nerves starting to set in. He’s whispering, just to make sure that he doesn’t wake up Tony. “I need to talk to you.”

“I’m a little tired right now,” Michael says. “Can we do this another time?”

Gob hesitates. “Tomorrow morning? I’ll… can we meet up at the model home? That’s assuming you’re not staying there, then I’ll just show up tomorrow morning either way.”

Michael sighs. “Yeah. Fine, okay? Whatever. Just let me go to sleep.” He hangs up without saying goodbye.

 

Gob makes sure that Michael doesn’t back out on him the next morning by showing up at the model home long before he knows his brother will be awake. He kills the time by watching cartoons until Michael stumbles downstairs, still tired.

“Hey, Mike!” He grins with a mouthful of the pancakes he brought from home. “You sleep well?”

“Not exactly,” Michael admits, sleep heavy in his voice. “What, with you calling me at midnight?”

“Yeah. About that.” Gob pushes himself up from the couch and follows Michael as he trudges to the kitchen. “I have a problem that I need you to solve for me.”

“Don’t you always?” Michael opens the fridge, looking for something to eat. “At least let me wake up a little bit first.”

Gob contemplates the idea, but ultimately decides that his problems are more pressing. He sits down on a stool in the kitchen. “Mike, I’m in love.”

Michael is only half paying attention between wrestling with the tie on a loaf of bread. “Is that right?”

“Yeah,” Gob confirms. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Who’s the lucky high-schooler this time?” Michael slips a few pieces of bread in the toaster. He’s obviously fed up with Gob’s problems before Gob has even begun to explain them. “Because it’s like they just keep getting younger and younger.”

Gob bites back a snappy ‘shut up’ and instead goes for, “He’s actually older than me.”

Michael stops. “He?”

Gob wants to believe that he isn’t nervous, but he’d just be lying to himself. He feigns confidence and stares down a glass of room temperature water that has been sitting on the counter for who-knows-how-long. “Yeah. He. Didn’t Mom tell you? I thought she would have.”

“She probably tried to,” Michael admits. “But I’m out of the family, remember? Anway, how long has this been going on?”

“Not  _ super _ long.” Gob traces some of the water around the glass along the table. “Since a little bit before Cinco. We didn’t officially get together until afterwards.”

Michael pauses, lost in thought, and then he blurts, “Tony Wonder?”

Gob laughs weakly. “Yeah. He and I… we work really well together, I think.”

“What happened to being enemies?” Michael leans against the counter, having finally finished making his toast. “I thought you were dead-set on that. Tony is your  _ rival.” _

Gob shrugs. “There was a change of plans, and now he’s my boyfriend. What about that is so hard for you to understand?”

Michael opens and closes his mouth, like he’s looking for something to say, but he can’t quite find it. After a minute, he lands on his words. “What makes you say you love him?”

Gob’s mouth feels dry, and his head races as he tries to put words to his feelings -- something he’s never been very good at. He laughs haltingly. “I don’t want to run away this time.”

Michael’s expression softens. He watches Gob like he needs to make sure that he really means what he’s saying, and suddenly, he smiles.

“You just need to let it happen,” He says. “Nobody is making you run away.”

“I know,” Gob says, because admitting it is the only thing he can do at this point. “I’m scared.”

“That’s okay,” Michael promises. “You’re human. You can be scared. Just… don’t run. You always run, and you shouldn’t.”

“I won’t.” Gob bites hard on his lip. “I’d never do that.”

Michael smiles, something of relief in it. “I’m happy for you,” He says.

Gob’s chest feels warm. “Yeah. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> i finished four ad fics tonight and i feel empty.


End file.
